Bolton’s Continued Humiliation: Turkey Seeks Coordination With Iran And Russia On US Exit

After Ankara slammed the door in John Bolton’s face during his trip to Turkey in which he expected to meet with Turkish President Erdogan, only to have Erdogan skip that meeting to criticize the US national security advisor in a speech to parliament, Turkey is now calling for Iran and Russia to step up coordination with Turkey in northern Syria as US troops withdraw.

Prior summit in Ankara, Turkey April 4, 2018. via Reuters

It’s but the next humiliation for Bolton, who flew out of Turkey on Tuesday, and for White House policy in the Middle East, after he announced preconditions to American troop draw down that emphasized Turkey agreeing to not attack the US-backed Kurds in Syria. Erdogan slammed this as a “serious mistake” and pro-government Turkish media painted the picture of a “soft coup” underway against Trump being orchestrated by Bolton and other subverters who had “rogue”.

But no doubt adding insult to injury, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu issued further provocative words on Wednesday, noting that given “certain difficulties” of confused US policy, the American draw down should be coordinated with Iran and Russia to prevent a power vacuum and the reinvigoration of terrorists.

“The United States [has] been facing certain difficulties with the process of the troops’ withdrawal from Syria. We want to coordinate this process with Russia and Iran, with which we had arranged work in the framework of the Astana process,”the Turksih FM said.

This would involve Turkish forces conductingjoint patrols with Russia amidst a US withdrawal of all troops from Syria, in accord with prior agreements reached during the Astana talks, set to continue further in Moscow at a future date. Cavusoglu also said bilateral talks are being prepared between Turkey and Iran, but gave no further specifics, according to Russian media.

Closer Turkish and Iranian coordination in Syria would be a huge red flag for Washington, which has long stated a policy goal of thwarting Iranian entrenchment in Syria as part of its reason for keeping forces in the country. Israel has also focused on the Iran issue to argue the White House must stay the course in Syria, or else cede the Middle East to the Tehran-Damascus-Hezbollah pro-Shia axis.

Erdogan, for this part, sought to articulate Turkey’s vision for a post-US pullout solution in northern Syria in a Monday New York Times op-ed asserting, “President Trump made the right call to withdraw from Syria,” while promising to protect Syrian Kurds not associated with terrorist groups. He made no mention of current talks and increased coordination between the Kurdish YPG and the Syrian Army, and proposed a Turkish-backed “stabilization force” on the ground to patrol former US-occupied zones.

Given Turkish FM Cavusoglu’s most recent statements, it appears Erdogan is seeking approval and coordination for such a plan from Moscow, which however is likely to back the ongoing talks between Assad and Kurdish representatives. Or the provocative statements could also merely be the latest Turkish thumb in Washington’s eye.

But as we mentioned previously, this is where the Syrian Kurds are actually headed: towards making a deal with Assad which would provide Syrian Army protection to Kurdish enclaves in the face of the invading Turks. This truly local solution, fast taking shape, will occur without the United States or Turkey, and in affirmation of Syrian sovereignty.

As Washington and Ankara feud, and as President Trump seeks to clamp down on the conflicting messages on Syria from within his own administration, the “solution” may come faster and more organically than anyone thought, namely a Russian-backed Syrian Army advance on Kurdish enclaves in coordination with the YPG/former SDF Kurdish fighters.

Neither Assad nor Iran wants an armed Kurdish Militia. Assad might even agree to Turkish ground operation to disarm Kurds, but only if Turks promise to leave and hand the territories to Assad, coordinated with Iran and Russia.
With that possibility in mind, Kurds might disarm themselves returning to pre-war status. That would satisfy most (Turkey, Assad, Iran), Russia wouldn’t care much, US and Israel wouldn’t like it though.

Brother Ma

No native country wants the Kurds armed and of course the US and Israel do.
The Kurds should be thankful they don’t get shot and buried in the desert by Russosyrians which is all I would deservedly give them ..and I was their most fervent supporter when they were killing jihadis!

Turks bleating about power vacuums and Isis coming back is a bit rich given the Turks were the ones who funded and trained ISIS on US orders ..back when they were pals!

Poetic justice would be Turks out of Syria altogether and Kurds as wandering beggars. I think Syria has forgiven them way too many times. In time,Assad should push them into Turkey. In addition,Syria should take back Hatay from the Turk dogs.

jorge

Brother, you are in delirious.

Brother Ma

Why ?

lovethemapples

some interesting points. but you are way too emotional to continue this discussion.

Brother Ma

Yes of course because all geopolitics is conducted rationally. Look at khassogi murder in Arab embassy and Killary’s gloating of Gaddaffi’s murder.

Freeze

It seems that Americans are having hard time without their beloved jihadists.

Jesus

Bolton who is a zio mule is getting kicked around trying to implement the zio plan to try tokeep US in Syria. US as a defeated party cannot set any preconditions pertaining their withdrawal, the longer they dawdle around the more embarrassing it gets. Trump wants the troops out just as clearly as he wants the wall to be built. The zio detractors will be swept away and rendered ineffective, starting with Bolton’s firing.

Tommy Jensen

US is and has never been a defeated party. US is a winner nation of winners.
Dont you make no mistake about that!!

Jesus

Yes, they are defeated in Syria, totally inept in Afghanistan, defeat in Vietnam, Korea, and most importantly self defeat at home because of a highly polarized and divided society.
This divided society is on the fringe of another civil war.

FlorianGeyer

Are you plugging for Boltons job Tommy :)

Tommy Jensen

Bolton and me have the same brain :-(.
Sour, bitter, arrogant, cruel, but always on the side of Israel and US government.

(whispering away repetitevely – “no-one listens to me, even the North Koreans said I was repugnant…..mmmm, mmmm”

jorge

Bye bye Mad Rat.

jorge

Yeah, Erdo, lets coordinate joint russian/turkish patrols in Afrin, Azaaz, al Bab and Jarablus to protect the return of the Syrian public institutions and the return of the Syrian local administrations to those regions.

Tommy Jensen

Here Trump can see for himself what Bolton and I have pointed out, that there are still many problems that America need to resolve before we can pull out.

We are NOT making a soft coup to force Trump into endless war in Syria. We are just pointing out the problems that have to be resolved first before we can do it!

As the world is hasty changing every day, no one can predict when these problems are resolved, but these problems WILL be resolved by America, by its security advisors and by our true allies.
Because we can do it, and we WILL do it, because we can dream it!

Brother Ma

US has not won a war since WWII and it needed help to do that..

Mortal

Actually it was Soviets that won the war mostly. Americans fought against an enemy already in the decline. The rest is just Hollywood interpretations of history, -cultural hegemony-, probably the best kind of hegemony.

Brother Ma

Of course! Which is why is said they needed help! I was being polite but know very well the heavy lifting was done by the Soviets.

FlorianGeyer

” there are still many problems that America need to resolve before we can pull out.”

That’s rather akin to you fucking your wife during an argument and refusing to pull out until she agrees with you Tommy :)

Brother Ma

Hahahaha

Tommy Jensen

Thats fair enough. Also called a white smoke meeting.
Women can be difficult to argue with. Not a bad tool to agree about something.

FlorianGeyer

Only if the Tool does not bend in use Tommy.

Xoli Xoli

Bolton is a devils messenger. let him and fat kitchen boy waist USA tax payers money and spread lies around in middle east USA and Israel weapons testing ground.The NATO secrets have been exposed by Jesus now Erdogan is ashame to be seen with his best friend Bolton.During UNSC votes Erdogan votes against Russia but wants to eye blind Syrians by showing he is Iran and Russian friend.Putin reads Erdogans minds that is why he give him carrot.No one trust Erdogan even USA and NATO because he want to be treat like a spoil child while he is a head choppers king the anti christ.

Willing Conscience (The Truths

Erdogan hasn’t been reading the MSM, he doesn’t know yet that Trump’s been outsmarted by the deep state and no longer has control of the situation, he’s still trying to do a deal with the man the MSM tell the rest of us isn’t really in control of the situation, and actually ignored one of the people who does. Does that make him stupid, NO, it makes him a lot smarter than I gave him credit for, he wasn’t fooled by the deep state into thinking they had any say at all on the matter,he still knows who the top dog is, and it’s not the one barking the loudest.